Mark Casci

A massive £300m expansion of Meadowhall Shopping Centre is unveiled today, with developers promising to create 1,000 jobs and hailing it as “one of the largest investments in the Sheffield City Region for a decade”.

Comprising 330,000 sq ft of space, the new Leisure Hall as it has been dubbed will add a range of dining and entertainment experiences not currently available at the centre.

New restaurants, a state-of-the-art cinema, a new café court, gym, and other leisure space that could be used to offer everything from ten-pin bowling to indoor golf are all planned in for the development.

The grand plan is the brainchild of British Land, joint owner of Meadowhall, who will now begin a public consultation on the proposals.

The plans represent the single biggest investment in Meadowhall since it opened more than 25 years ago and could be completed within five years.

Housed under an elegant glazed roof, the Leisure Hall will integrate with the existing centre to create a new multi-levelled, landscaped mall with high quality internal and external spaces for promotional and community uses. It has also been designed to accommodate large outdoor events including live music.

The jobs will be promoted via The Source, Meadowhall’s on-site recruitment and training facility founded by British Land with Sheffield City Council in 2003.

Darren Pearce, Meadowhall Centre Director, said: “This is a very exciting era for Meadowhall. The proposed Leisure Hall is designed to give our shoppers ever more choice and variety. We hope that many will share their views and thoughts during the public consultation in June, ahead of the planning application, enabling us to maintain Meadowhall as Yorkshire’s premier shopping and leisure destination.”

Charles Maudsley, Head of Retail and Leisure for British Land, said: “We are continuing to drive Meadowhall’s evolution to ensure it remains an outstanding place for modern consumer lifestyles. This significant step change in the scheme’s leisure provision will contribute to Sheffield’s continuation as a driving force behind the Northern Powerhouse.

“This is a very exciting time and we look forward to working with Sheffield City Council to help ensure Sheffield’s future success.”

“This is a very exciting time and we look forward to working with Sheffield City Council to help ensure Sheffield’s future success.”

A detailed planning application for the Leisure Hall will be submitted in late summer 2016, following extensive consultation with local stakeholders.

“If the proposals are approved, British Land hopes to start on site during 2018 and open the Leisure Hall to visitors in late 2020/early 2021.